Planning application for development next to Tania Flats collapse site approved
An apartment block with 74 residential units will fill the site
A planning application for a construction site next to a Paceville apartment block that collapsed in June last year has been approved by the Planning Authority.
The application (PA/08426/24) covers the demolition of the former Avenue restaurant that used to occupy the site, excavation of the 860 square metre plot and the construction of 22 parking spaces at semi-basement level, two garages, one commercial outlet and 74 apartments.
The development will extend to six storeys, feature a pool at roof level, and span a large area intersecting Triq Paceville and Triq Gort.
The site lies next to the former Tania Flats apartment block – now an empty plot of land – which dramatically collapsed into a heap in June last year, just hours after 32 student residents were evacuated due to safety concerns.
Demolition work was underway at the site of the recently approved application around the time Tania Flats collapsed, with a stop-work order issued for the construction site the day before the block of apartments came down.
Initial investigations into the collapse by the Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers found “no evidence” that excavation works were taking place at the time.
The stop-work notice was issued in respect to a previous planning application (PA/02173/21) to build a 125-room hotel across nine storeys.
That earlier application lists Mark Agius as the developer on behalf of Excel Investments Ltd, a company co-owned by construction magnates Joseph Portelli and Daniel Refalo, and Glenn Zammit as architect.
At the time of it being lodged, however, the application listed The Avenue Co Ltd and Charles Mangion as developers, with Martin Xuereb as architect.
The approved 2024 permit, meanwhile, also lists The Avenue Co Ltd and Mangion as developers, with Maria Schembri Grima – who has featured on Portelli projects over the years – listed as architect.
The recent permit was recommended for approval by the Planning Authority case officer and given the green light by the planning board earlier this week.
Excavation works outlined in the recent permit have already been carried out in line with the 2021 application.
Earlier this week, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) confirmed to Times of Malta that it had completed its investigation into the collapse and was reviewing the findings internally.
The authority declined to provide a copy of the investigation’s conclusions, and no details about its findings were forthcoming.
It said it would meet with “all parties related to the incident” to discuss its findings and “determine the appropriate way forward”.